Written by Tom Moggach
November 19, 2019
Across the capital, creative chefs and caterers are experimenting with new vegan and plant-based festive menus. Here's a mouthwatering selection...
Panzer's Food Hall, St John's Wood
At this leading delicatessen, innovations include a festive squash bagel served on a limited edition cranberry bagel.
Panzer's head chef Juan Carlos says: "We've noticed a steady increase in requests for vegetarian and vegan twists on our range. For this special bagel, I switched turkey breast for sage roasted squash, and added a whipped stilton cream cheese, rocket, cranberry sauce and crispy onions."
Gauthier, Soho
Chef Alex Gauthier is one of the most creative chefs in the capital and embraced plant-based cuisine many moons ago.
His fixed-price vegan Christmas menu includes a Suffolk carrot tartar with tomato, shallot, preserved lemon, shiso and sorrel paste and Melba toasts. Or, how about a whole roasted parsnip with caramelised sweet potato, tarragon puree and a rich thyme and garlic broth?
Club Mexicana, Hackney
This wildly popular, 100% vegan Mexican restaurant now has branches in Hackney, Shoreditch and Covent Garden. In December, Club Mexicana is offering a roast dinner with 'faux' turkey, vegan bacon, deep fried sprouts and all the trimmings.
Cafe Forty One, Bayswater
Based in La Suite West Hotel, Café Forty One sets out to offer “delicious and inspired plant-based cuisine”. Over the festive period, they will be serving a menu including a main course of gnocchi with walnuts, porcini, sage, cashew parmesan and herb oil.
The Gate
The Gate, established 1989, describe themselves as "plant-based pioneers" who want their customers to "share the infinite possibilities of experiencing and enjoying plant-based food". They now have branches in St John’s Wood, Marylebone, Islington, and Hammersmith.
Their festive menu includes a mushroom and leek wellington and this Christmas rotolo filled with spiced butternut, leeks, cranberries and sage. This is served with thyme and lemon roasted fennel and a madeira sauce.
Percy and Founders, Fitzrovia
Percy and Founders is a thriving British-European restaurant. Vegan dishes include stuffed aubergine with spinach, wild mushrooms, cashew nut cream and truffle and a winter vegetable tart with butternut squash, red cabbage, spinach and parsnip.
Texture Restaurant, Marylebone
Texture is a Michelin-starred restaurant known for its Scandinavian influences. The vegan tasting menu this month includes dishes such as English baby beetroots with pesto and walnuts and this creation - artichokes with aubergine, broth, olives and rocket.
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